Tiger Tanaka dies at 84

'Welcome to Japan, Mr Bond'

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Actor Tetsuro Tamba, who played Japanese Secret Service supremo Tiger Tanaka in You Only Live Twice, has died aged 84, the Hollywood Reporter reports.

The paper states the "actor's representatives said he died as a result of heart failure after a bout of pneumonia".

According to the BBC, Tamba appeared in over 300 films. He also graced "numerous Japanese TV series, specialising in tough characters like police officers and gangsters".

Back in 1981, Tamba secured a Japanese Academy Award for best supporting actor in war film 203 kochi - described by one Internet Movie Database (IMDb) reviewer as "old fashioned gut and glory with a sentimental subplot".

He will, however, be best remembered in the West for his role in You Only Live Twice, which included some deliciously non-PC dialogue:

Tiger Tanaka: Rule number one: never do anything yourself when someone else can do it for you.
James Bond: And rule number two?
Tiger Tanaka: Rule number two: in Japan, men come first, women come second.
James Bond: I just might retire to here.